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B. E. RICHARDSON.

LOCK FOR. MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLICAUON FILED 1.u1.Y24.1917.

Patented NOV. 11, 1919.'

/ gGHTsf/ lili tlfltlit E. RCEIARDSN, Cil-Mll@ RPIS, MiCHlGrAXl', ASSGNOR TO MECHAND lf3-YEAR SHFT COMPANY., OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHGAN, .ll CRECRATN 0F l'tlIICHIGrAN.

isomer.

Specification ol. Letters llatent. PgplU-ajmppdl NW9, jul', gpgylg Application led July 24, 1917. Serial No. 182,443.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that l, BAYARD E. RIcHAnmiou,v a citizen oi' the United States of America, residing at Grand Rapids, in the county ot Kent and Stateof Michigan, have invented certain neu7 and useful Improvements in Locks for Motor-Vehicles; and l do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ot the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

rthis invention relates to a locking mecha nism for motor vehicles byl means of which the starter, the ignition, the lighting system, and the selector mechanism 'for a gear shift mechanism as disclosed in my former application for patent Ser. No. 182,442 liled July 24, 1917, may all be locked against operation by a single means; or, it desired, the lighting switch may be placed in operative position and locked 'therein so that the lights are on While all of the remainingr devices enumerated are locked in inoperative position. A further object of the invention consists in a very simple, con'iplete and conn pact assembly of all the controls "for a motor vehicle whereby a single locking` device may be utilized to lock all against operation. y `Various other features ot1 novelty will, appear as understanding of the invention is had from the followingn description reference being; had to the accompanying; drawing' in which;

Figure 1 is a fraementur alan View with )arts broken awa i shoviinr the a) )lication l e o'l my invention to a motor vehicle immediately below the steering wheel thereot..

lling. 2 is aside elevation tlmereoll parts being; shown in section and,

is a. fragmentary i-ertical section enlarged through the rear part of the housing on which the various eontrols are mounted.

luke reference characters reifer to like parts throughout the several views ot the d 1awings.

My invention is adapted for application to the steering" post 1 of a motor vehicle immediately belowthe steering "heel 2 thereof. bracket 3 is secured to the post 'integral with and extending1 to the rear from Which is a plate 4L formingthe lower member ot a housing Which is completed by an upper member 5. series oft levers 6 are pivotally mounted between their ends Within the housing' and at their rear ends come immediately below selector members 7, four beingr shown in the drawing' asindicative ot the four speeds at whichl most motor vehicles With sliding gearing trans missions are driven. A flexible tubular member 8 connects with the housing and it through this member that selector Wires are passed from the housing' as shown in my former application for patent, said Wires hempT attached to the front end of the levers ll and leading to the immediate selector mechanism `in `the transmission gearing which, as it forms no part of the present invention, is not shown. In front of the selector devices 7 are mounted starter and ignition controls 9 and a light control 10. These devices eXtend through the top oli' the housing'V and each carries a depending! rod 1l terminating in a spherical head 12 adapted in its lower position to enter between spring contact members 13 mounted upon an insulating 'base 14C Within the housing and ha fing proper connections with the Wires which form the ignition, starter and lighting circuits and which lead through a. liexible tube 15 *from the housing as shown mounted closely adjacent the tube 8 heretofore described. (ln depression of either the starter or ignition controls 9 the proper electrical circuit is completed, and on depression ot the light control at l0 the circuit is completed and the lights are lighted.

A looking plate 16 is slidably mounted immediately below the top of the housing it having a plurality ol` openings 1i" therein larghe enough to pass the selector de vices l' and ignition, starter and light controls when the plate is in its rearmost position as shown in llig. 3. This plate. may be moved" to the front by any suitable key insert-ed into the housin' through a proper key hole opening as shown at 18. When thus moved forward the plate comes under neath the selector button 7 and underneath the larger cylindrical portions ol' the ignition, stai-ter und light contro-ls whereby depression ot' the same is stopped. @l course., it is desirable that at certain times the lights may be on though the remainder of the controls are locked against operation, and to this end a notch 19 is cut in the side oli the light control 10 whereby it may be depressed to operative position and the locking1 plate then operated a portion of the lill) lll) against return to inoperative position,while all of the remaining controls vare held in inoperative positions.

The construction outlined is very simple and effective in operation and all of the controls are in a osition yfor ready access by the driver of tie automobile. This construction as stated heretofore, locks all of the controls of the machine by use of a single locking means and one which is espe- 'cially simple and effective.

I claimzy 1.*In'eombination, a housing havin-g a top member,'a plurality of selector buttons extending upwardly through said to member and slidable downwardly thei'et rough, a plurality of levers pivotally mounted in the housing the free ends of which the buttons normally rest, and a locking plate slidably mounted below the `top member and provided with a plurality of openings which in one position of the late receive the rear ends of the levers an through which the buttons may freely pass to actuate said levers, said plate when moved to another position interposing between the buttons andv levers and stopping any downward movement of the buttons, substantially as described. y

' 2. In combination, a plurality of selector buttons mounted for vertical sliding movements,`levers associated with said buttons to lbe operated on depression thereof, and

below the top member against Lesina? to operate the levers, the plate in other positions passing under the lower ends of the buttons and over said ends of the levers and stopping said movement of the buttons, substantially as described.

3. In combination, a housing, having a to-p member, a plurality of light, starter, ignition and gear shift control buttons slidably mounted in said top member for vertical movements, andv a plate slidably mounted under said top member, and pro vided with a plurality of openings which in one position ot the plate register with said buttons so as to permit the free pas sage thereofl through the plate, said plate when moved to another position passing under said buttons so as to interpose against movement of the same, substantially as de# scribed.

4. In combination, a mechanism as claimed inclaim' 3 in which said light control button is slotted in one side to receive an adjacent edge of the plate whereby said light button may be moved to operative position or left in inoperative position and locked against movement in either osition with all-the remaining buttons E inoperative position, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

BAYARD E. RICHARDSON.

eld in` 

